President John Quincy Adams

Copied Hiram Powers, President John Quincy Adams, modeled 1837, plaster, 22 3⁄4 x 14 3⁄4 x 10 3⁄8 in. (57.8 x 37.4 x 26.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson, 1968.155.18
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
President John Quincy Adams
Artist
Date
modeled 1837
Location
Dimensions
22 3⁄4 x 14 3⁄4 x 10 3⁄8 in. (57.8 x 37.4 x 26.2 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums
Mediums Description
plaster
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait male — Adams, John Quincy — nude
  • Portrait male — Adams, John Quincy — bust
  • Study — sculpture model
  • Occupation — political — president
Object Number
1968.155.18
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1968.155.18

Artwork Description

The poem you see above was written by John Quincy Adams to express his thanks to Hiram Powers. The two men became friends during the sculptor’s stay in Washington, and Powers created this piece as a token of respect for the former president. The portrait was modeled in 1837, shortly before Powers left Washington for Florence, and it was one of the first sculptures carved from marble in his Italian studio. As he sat for the artist, Adams told many stories and anecdotes from his lively career. Powers later claimed that “I do not know that I have ever met with a more entertaining man.”